Gb International winger David Longstaff was the star player for the Vipers despite having an indifferent game by his high standards.

With the game nearing its conclusion with three minutes left to play and the very contrasting sides level at one apiece, Longstaff attacked the heart of the Stingrays defence.

He tried to stick-handle his way through, got a fortunate deflection to take him to the edge of the crease from where he sent the puck past Stingrays netminder Miroslav Bilik.

At then at 59.59 Longstaff, the Vipers leading scorer with post match figures of 14+14 from 22 games, made sure of a second successive home win by shooting into an unguarded goal from inside the neutral zone.

Impressive seven days previously against the Cardiff Devils, the Corey Morgan-less Vipers struggled to get going against the fast skating and skilful Stingrays. It was grinding North American style hockey up against swift passing European style.

The influential Morgan had picked up a groin strain and has been rested. He is likely however to be back in action next weekend.

The Vipers survived an early scare when a Sergiy Rublivsky took a crazily-unpredictable bounce off the back boards and struck netminder Peter Aubry's right-hand post.

But the team's luck wasn't to hold as on five minutes the visitors took the lead. Aubry was down on the ice, committed, Jeff Glowa passed to the edge of the crease where Anton Butochnov had the easiest of chances to score.

Soon afterwards Aubry skated to the team bench where equipment manager Tim Blake carried out repairs to his right skate. The scoreline could have been even worse for the Vipers when late in the period Aubry's right-hand post was struck again when Sergiy Kharchenko let loose a wrist shot.

The Vipers improved - and frankly couldn't have been worse - when play resumed and they posed more threat. Captain Jonathan Weaver tested Bilik on a breakaway and Longstaff created a good opportunity for Andre Payette with a fine left to right cross ice pass - the winger shooting over.

The equaliser came on 32 minutes when Rod Hinks and Paul Ferone again showed the potential there is in their pairing on the same line, the former scoring his sixth goal and 11th point in nine games after what in football parlance would be described as a one-two.